Helping pre-schoolers learn out and about

At the shops:

Plan your trip to the shops with her before you leave the house – what shops you’re going to visit and what you’ll buy at each.

Point out signs that you see and explain what each means.

Ask him to count the fruit and vegetables as you bag them.

Ask her to look for items in the supermarket – if you take a toy stroller or a block cart with you, she’ll enjoy loading up his own ‘trolley’ with groceries while you put the bulk of them into your own.

Let your child pay – explain to him how money works, how much you need to pay for your groceries and how much you have in your wallet. Make sure that he waits for the change and a receipt!

In the car she can:

Count the cars, red lights, buses along the way. Guesstimate how many you’ll see in the next five minutes.

Try making up a new rhyme together.

Play I-spy but use colours instead of letters – ‘I spy something red.’

Take along favourite books and toys for quiet time in the car.

Sing some favourite songs (link to nursery rhymes) – and perhaps try to introduce a couple of new learning songs (link to learning songs) to the repertoire.